


Purge Retribution: Townsville

by STFU_SAM



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Blood and Gore, Butch Is A Sociopath, Buttercup Is A Badass, F/M, Gen, Just Fuck Morals, Maybe Relationships?, Minor Character Deaths, No Spoilers in Tags - Freeform, Serious Mojo Jojo, TRUST NO ONE, Trigger Warnings Before Chapters, mental breakdowns, will update tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26809450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STFU_SAM/pseuds/STFU_SAM
Summary: It is once again time for the annual Purge and Mojo picked the perfect night to exact his revenge on his arch nemesis’s.Our favorite heroines have no choice but to venture out on the infamous night, not knowing just how horrific the Purge could be.
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I started and abandoned this idea on my fanfiction account. I recently decided to rewrite this story and just in time for spooky season! 
> 
> Beware, things are going to get worse with each chapter. I’ll make sure to include warnings for every chapter but just know, things are going to get dark.

There are days where you’ll wake up and have a nagging feeling that something big was going to happen. Something that could possibly change  _ everything _ . It could all begin with just one small event that would depict what kind of day a person would have and possibly change your life – A domino effect.

_ “Remember when the Purge first started? We thought no one was crazy enough to participate in something so inhumane…especially here.” _

_ “It wasn’t the first time that this city has surprised us.” _

* * *

_ Utonium Sister’s _

_ Townsville University  _

_ 4:15pm _

They had to hurry up and get home, The Professor was waiting eagerly for them. Blossom Utonium, didn’t understand what was taking her sisters so long. She knew they were known busy bodies, but this evening was no time for idle conversation amongst friends. 

The ginger stood, glaring at her school with a profound look of exasperation. Arms folded and lips taut, Blossom was ready to drag the girls out herself. Robin and Mitch had  _ been  _ left so there was no excuse for their tardiness.

All after school practices, clubs and evening classes were cancelled due to the annual Purge. Schools have been sending letters home and emails to parents and students all month long, along with the routine news outlets to prepare for the night. The same practiced announcements and letters they get every year during this time. Some professors would warn the students about the dangers of the night if any curious minds were looking to  _ cleanse _ their souls tonight–their deaths were a certainty.

Two years ago, a few upperclassmen thought it would be a good idea for a senior prank to come to the school and burn it down for all the crap the teachers and staff had put them through throughout the years. The school was still intact by the morning however, but as for the upperclassmen, their bodies were found in Townsville Park, lynched and their eyes gouged out. 

For the following year, no students from Townsville University participated.

Blossom’s aberrant eyes did a terse sweep over the campus’s yard. There would be no languorous after class chatter today. The school’s staff were basically shoving the teens into their designated buses to get back to their dorms. Parents blew their car horns restlessly as their kids scrambled to get in. As for the students that lived off campus, they were escorted off the grounds as if they stole something. 

Blossom was fairly surprised at the turnout this year. A lot of her peers didn’t even bother with showing up today. Most likely forced to stay locked inside by precautious parents. It also wasn’t outlandish for people to pack up and leave the country entirely during this time. If she had the option, that is what Blossom would’ve done.

Even still, with all these urgent precautions, there was always that one fool who slipped between the cracks and dared to venture out this night. Blossom only hoped that it was no one she cared about...but then again, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls didn’t care much for fools.

After another five minutes of waiting, Buttercup and Bubbles had finally found their way out of the building and Blossom was on them within seconds in a flash of pink. 

“About time you guys came out. What was taking you so long?” Her eyes narrowed on them both as she tapped her foot impatiently. Buttercup just rolled her eyes whilst Bubbles smiled sheepishly.

“This one,” Buttercup jutted a thumb to the blonde beside her. “lost her phone and had us running all over the school to find it.”

Blossom sighed. “Bubbles, I tell you all the time you need to take better care of your belongings. Where was it anyways?” 

“My purse…” Bubbles said so low that only their super hearing could pick it up.

Blossom exhaled deeply. She swallowed down the long rant she was itching to give her sister. “You’re here now, let’s just go home.” With that said, Blossom took off into the sky. Bubbles head hung low in embarrassment. 

Buttercup playfully punched her baby sister in the arm. “Maybe if you cleaned your big ass bag out, you’ll be able to find what’s in it.” She teased.

Bubbles swung her huge purse over her shoulder, purposely hitting Buttercup on her side and throwing her off balance. Electric green eyes narrowed sharply and before she could make a grab for the blonde, Bubbles stuck her tongue out at her and shot off behind Blossom. Buttercup was hot on their tails, yelling obscenities.

When they were high above the city streets, they noticed a tall skyscraper engulfed in smoke. Faint screams were picked up from the direction. Any other day, the heroines wouldn’t waste any time on checking out the scene but today wasn’t just any day. They were hesitant, not wanting to keep their dad, the Professor waiting any longer. If it was just a fire, surely Townsville’s Fire Department could handle it?

“You think we should go see what it is?” Bubbles yelled above the loud wind gust.

“We still have a lot of time until it gets dark, I don’t see why not.” Buttercup added with an eager grin.

“Ughh! Of all the freaking days!” Blossom groaned, making a beeline for the building. The Professor will understand. They’ll have this wrapped up, hopefully under an hour and make it home in time for lockdown. 

“We’ll go check it out, but let’s make this quick. I don’t plan to be out here more than an hour.”

Her sisters nodded in agreement and easily fell in line behind their leader. The cloud of smoke that surrounded the building was thick and dark. Using their x-ray vision, they found the large gaping hole that started the fire. The trio assessed the area to see what had caused this much damage but didn’t find anything unusual. Using her ice breath, Blossom quickly put out the fire that shrouded the skyscraper. She surmised that it was probably a gas leak that caused the explosion.

Buttercup huffed, annoyed at the lack of a fight. “What a waste of time. We better off going straight–“ Before Buttercup could finish she was abruptly blasted out of the air and into the city streets below them.

“ _ BWHAHAHA _ !” Bubbles and Blossom whirled with matching scowls as Mojo Jojo descended out of the smoke. He was in one of his special fighter jets, cannons pulsing and ready to fire. He shook in his seat from his manic laughter. Blossom glared viciously at the primate.

“Bubbles, make sure any civilians are out of the way. I will hold him off here.” She ordered, chilling eyes cemented on Mojo. Bubbles didn’t respond, rather finish quickly what she was ordered to do to rejoin her sisters. She was gone in an instant.

“You just don’t take a break do you, Mojo?” Blossom growled as she focused her energy into her eyes. They glowed red before searing laser beams shot out of them. Mojo swerved left to avoid them and returned fire onto the pink girl. 

“I,  _ Mojo Jojo, _ will never give up! You three will never not see the last of me until each of you is just a figment thought to this world!” Mojo howled like a mad man. Blossom ducked and weaved through the city streets as the deranged chimp tried to shoot her down. From the ground it looked like they were playing a game of cat and mouse. Blossom had to even the playing field somehow.

She picked up speed heading straight for a tall building. Mojo thought he had her. He knew Blossom wasn’t going to risk flying through a building possibly injuring the innocent people inside. He shot a hail of missiles at her back.

Blossom shot a quick glance behind her and tutted, she used a shockwave to implode the missiles on her tail before they could reach their target. Mojo cursed loudly, watching as his missiles exploded. Blossom sprung a nimble flip and landed softly onto the side of the building. All of the people behind the glass stared in awe at the lone heroine. Blossom gave them a reassuring smile and beckoned for them to get to safety. When she saw their forms scatter away from the thick glass and duck behind their cubicles, she turned to glare at Mojo’s jet, it was approaching fast.

“Get down!” She barked behind her.

Blossom pushed herself off the glass, the pure force of her take off shattered the windows of the building and alarming everyone inside. Mojo was caught off guard by this. He pulled back hard to slow down but the momentum was too great. Blossom’s hands burned bright with her energy, she sent an infinite amount of energy blast’s at Mojo’s jet.

“DAMNIT!” Mojo cursed loudly. His hands slammed against a button that triggered his jet’s shield. Blossom’s energy beams crashed against his shield. When the smoke from her blasts finally cleared Blossom took in Mojo’s shield, it glowed in the shade of blue with erratic sparks of lightning.

“HAHAHA! Let’s see you touch me now, Blossom. Your futile powers are no match for my jet’s transcendent shield. You, weak puny girl! BWAHAHAHA!” He cackled.

A meaningful smirk replaced the scowl on Blossom’s freckled face. “I may be no match for it  _ alone _ but let’s see how it handles all three of us.” She shouted smugly.

“What are you–“ Mojo’s impressive brain was ironically slow at processing what the teen had said and shortly after, Buttercup’s battle cry could be heard in the distance. She was flying top speed at Mojo’s jet, a large metal beam looked menacing in her small hands. When she was in range, she lifted the beam over her head and swung with all her strength. 

**_CRACK._ **

The pipe collided with a resounding crack that sent Mojo flying across the city. He crashed into buildings, leaving wreckage and chaos behind. Blossom cringed at all the damage, then glared disapprovingly at her sister. A look in which Buttercup chose to ignore and took off after Mojo. Blossom shook her head bitterly. She’ll have to reprimand Buttercup later. Right now, they still had a pest to deal with.

Bubbles came up behind her. “I tried to calm her down…you know how she gets.” She offered timidly, staring after her belligerent sister. Blossom grit her teeth.

“I know. Come on, let’s go make sure she doesn’t destroy the city trying to kill Mojo.” After, Blossom raced off in search of Buttercup and Mojo leaving nothing but her pink streak behind. Bubbles wasn’t far behind.

“ _What’s wrong Mojo? I thought your shield was impenetrable!”_ Buttercup yelled, derisively. Her body was littered with small cuts and bruises. Her clothes were ripped all over from when Mojo first blasted her into the ground. A cheap shot. Buttercup hated cheap shots.

Mojo glowered at the green clad girl. How dare she! His jet was now battered and dented from where his shield failed to protect it. It had nearly given out from all the buildings it crashed into on the way down into some woods in one of the suburban parts of Townsville.

Buttercup directed most of her energy into her fists. She wasn’t done with him yet. Not by a long run. She was going to make sure Mojo didn’t show his face for a very long time.

“Just surrender.” She spat acidicly.

Mojo though, wasn’t done quite yet either. The mad chimp always had a trick or two up his sleeve.

“Stupid girl, as if I would ever surrender to the likes of you.” He growled. He pressed a button and the large cannon on his jet started to fire up. “DIE!” He roared. The cannon fired a large blast. The light was blinding.

Buttercup manifested more energy and it surrounded her body like a glove. She charged at Mojo at full speed, screaming bloody murder as she flew, building momentum. Before colliding with the blast, at the last moment she directed all of her energy into her hands to contain the cannons power. 

“Aghhh!” She grunted as she struggled to hold the cannon’s energy. She refused to give up though. She stood her ground, planting her feet into the ground to keep from being pushed back. Mojo’s cannon was strong, she’ll give it that. One of his strongest yet but the green warrioress refused to budge. Her hands we’re crying pain from the blast. The flesh on them was being seared right off.

“You’re going to die, Puff! Just wait, you and your idiot sisters are done for! You’re all going to die! If not by me,  _ Mojo Jojo _ , then these pathetic creatures you seem to love will surely do the job!” She heard Mojo cackle. She was too busy focused on the threat in front of her to pay the senile chimp any mind.

Mojo was enjoying the show. Buttercup thought she had everything under control but was soon to be mistaken. The blast Buttercup was struggling with wasn’t even the cannons strongest. It was only a small fraction of the cannon's power. Actually, the true power of the cannon wasn’t even from the it’s blast. It wasn’t even entirely its purpose. It was meant to destroy, yes. But that was only an extra, It’s true power came after someone with supernatural powers, was blasted with it.

“Buttercup!” Bubbles cried out.

When Blossom and Bubbles finally found them, Blossom was forced to think fast. She feared that her sister was going to be engulfed by the blast, incinerating her completely. But that wasn’t even one of the worst parts, judging of the size of the blast, if it were to get passed, a good chunk of Townsville would be wiped from the map. Thousands of lives would be lost, including hers and her sisters. She couldn’t allow that.

“Quick! Bubbles, make a shield large enough to surround the nearby area! And do you think you will be able to form one around Buttercup and I?” Blossom yelled, her adrenaline pumping. Determination was burning in the pools of her eyes.

Bubbles nodded hesitantly. “I can make different shields at once but I don’t think they’ll be that strong. I can try though.” Her voice was shaky but Blossom had full faith in her sister to get the job done.

“Then make the shield around this area the strongest. Me and Buttercup will take most of the brunt of the damage.” She watched as Bubbles eyes went wide with fear.

“N–No! You can’t! What if something terrible happens? What if you both–“ Blossom put her hand over her mouth, cutting her off from saying that last dreadful word. She gave her a calming smile.

“Nothing bad is going to happen. I trust you, Bubbles. Just do what I said and we’re going to be on our way home and no time.” 

Bubbles held back her tears. Now wasn’t a time to cry. She had a job to do.

“Okay…J–Just please be careful.” Bubbles small voice cracked a little and sucked in a breath when Blossom brought her in for a tight squeeze before taking off to aid Buttercup.

Feeling a little more confident. Bubbles set out to do her part of the plan. Being the fastest, she quickly flew above the woods. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes and imagined the energy within herself, outside of her. Her energy was a light blue and sparkled in the air. It tingled all around her. She took another deep breath, this time when she released it, she sent the energy around her to the ground below. Her energy manifested into a sphere and swallowed the surrounding woods.

Making the shield took a lot out of the tiny girl but her job wasn’t done just yet. Her keen eyes picked up on Buttercup and Blossom doing their best to hold the cannon's power. Even with Blossom helping, they were still being pushed back. They needed her help. Bubbles shot back over to the forest and landed lightly behind them. Using the same technique, she surrounded her sisters with herself with a shield. The amount of energy she was emitting was taking a toll on her but she’ll bear through it. 

Bubbles forced her way in between her sisters, hands outstretched, a glare of determination pointed forward, and feet planted deeply in the earth below her. She pushed along with Buttercup and Blossom. Sweat clung to their bodies and their limbs were growing weak but still they pushed with all their might.

When Mojo saw that his cannon’s blast was being repelled, he roared in anger. He swung his tiny arms around in frustration. “Blasted PowerPuff Girls!” He cursed at the top of his lungs. He banged on the jet's dashboard. 

_ It is time for me to stop toying around with them.  _ He thought viciously as he turned in his seat and flipped open a flap. Inside was a tiny, glowing white button. He smirked maliciously to himself as he stared at it.  _ Play time is officially over, indeed. _

He pressed the tiny button gently and the cannon roared. The blast changed from an electric blue to an icy white. Mojo smirked sinisterly at the girls before him and laughed until his voice grew hoarse.  _ “GOOD BYE, POWERPUFF GIRLS!” _

The girls could feel a change in power from the cannon’s blast. They immediately knew something was wrong when they felt themselves grow weaker by the second. They tried to pull back but their bodies were frozen where they stood.  _ Something wasn’t right.  _

Blossom glanced at her sisters beside her. She saw the fear in their eyes. They were all experiencing the same thing. Blossom looked ahead of her. She used the little energy she had left to wrap itself around her and her sisters. Buttercup and Bubbles did the same. Their hearts pounding inside their chests.

“ _ Girls, _ brace yourselves!” Blossomed ordered over the blast. They readied themselves.

The blinding light of cannon’s blast swallowed them in. Mojo’s psychotic laughter faded slowly as everything went black.


	2. It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone pays a visit.

_ Wood’s outside of Townsville _

_ 6:50pm  _

Her body felt heavy. Heavier than usual. Something was off here. Buttercup’s eyes slowly opened. Her green irises stared up at the sky above her. The sun was setting, she somberly registered. 

Everything that happened started to come back to her. Mojo, his cannon, her and sisters getting caught in the fire, all the images flipped through her mind rapidly. But one thing stuck out the most–it was almost time for the _ Purge _ . The thought alone had her heart racing.

She needed to find her sisters and get home fast before the announcement commenced. Buttercup needed to get up, she couldn’t continue to lay here. Judging by how quiet it was around her, she was sure Mojo was already long gone–holed up safely in his volcano. It was best that she and her sisters do the same. She could barely move but she forced herself up anyways. Her body felt like it was being weighed down by bricks.

Buttercup shakily turned on her stomach and pushed herself up onto her knees, cursing loudly to herself the whole time. She needed to get her sisters. When she finally was on her feet, she limped awkwardly to her sister’s unconscious forms. Luckily for her they weren’t too far away. Bubbles was the closest. She slowly knelt down beside her and started to shake her awake.

“Bubbles…get up. We got to go now.” She hissed in pain. Bubbles started to stir awake as Buttercup shook her violently. Her battered face was scrunched in pain.

“…Hmm…” Bubbles moaned as her eyes flickered open. “Owww…stop, I’m awake.” 

“Get up. We have to wake up Blossom and get out of here. It’s almost time for the purge to begin.”

Fear immediately replaced the pain in Bubbles face as she fumbled to get on her feet. It was a miracle that they were still able to walk right now.

“Where is she?” She panicked. Buttercup dragged her sister along with her to gather at Blossom’s side. Buttercup, too exhausted to bend down, decided on just kicking her leader’s side to rouse her.

“Buttercup, quit it!” Bubbles scolded, glaring at her. She knelt down beside Blossom’s head and lifted her so she’ll be sitting up.

“Blossom, you have to get up. We have to leave. Get up!” Bubbles yelled in her ear. Buttercup continued to nudge her with her foot. 

“Get the hell up, leader girl!” Buttercup growled.

Blossom’s pink eyes shot open as she gasped for air. Bubbles held her sister tightly so she wouldn’t fall over. When Blossom had finally calmed down, pain spread all over her body like a fire. She cried out softly and shook in her sister’s arms.

“Blossom, it’s okay! It’s me, Bubbles and Buttercup! Calm down…” Bubbles said soothingly.

“I know…” She grunted. Blossom relaxed herself. Adjusting to the pain, she stumbled to her feet. Her tired eyes scoped the area around them. Tree’s and the grass were missing where the cannon had fired. Blossom checked behind, Townsville was unscathed– _ for now that was _ .

In a few hours, her beloved home would become hell on Earth. 

Blossom turned to her sisters. “What time is it?” She asked them. Blossom had left her phone at home by accident sense she was in a rush to get to school on time this morning.

Bubbles groaned in agitation. She had left her purse on the street where Buttercup had crashed landed. She didn’t think they would be out for this long. Buttercup reached in her back pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Amazingly, it was still functional.  _ Thank the lord for life proof cases. _ She thought. 

Buttercup checked the time. “It’s 7:22. We basically have an hour and a half to get back but I don’t think we’re too far from home.” She explained. “I’m going to text the Professor and tell him what had happened.”

Blossom nodded. That was enough time she supposed. They didn’t meet their deadline from before but at least they’ll be on time for lockdown. That’s better than nothing. Blossom inspected their bodies. They were beat up but lucky enough to be alive right now. If it wasn’t for Bubbles shields and the added power from her and Buttercup, they surely would’ve been goners. Blossom grimaced at this. They’ll live to see another day. Mojo, however, better count his days.

“The Professor’s pissed but I think he’ll get over it.” Buttercup said snapping Blossom out of her thoughts. 

“Then we should probably get home.” Bubbles replied.

Blossom didn’t respond. Without giving it another thought she pushed herself into the air–only to find herself crashing back down.

“What the…” Blossom shrieked before the ground below her broke her fall. She fell with a thud and screamed in pain. Bubbles ran to her side.

“Oh my god! Blossom, are you okay?” 

“Yeah…I think I’m okay.” She groaned, nursing her throbbing bottom.

“What was that?” Bubbles asked bewildered.

Buttercup just stared in shock. She just watched her sister fall from the sky. If Blossom went any higher and fell, her ass wouldn’t be the only thing hurting. A deep dread fell across the girls faces.

Buttercup thought back to when she first had woken up. Her body did feel slightly different. She was fucked up, yeah. But on the inside, she felt something was off. She examined her hands. They were pretty damaged but she could still wiggle her fingers, thankfully. Some bandages were all she needed.

Her eyes went to the dimming sky. Like Blossom, she pushed her body off the ground but she didn’t get that far before falling back down to the ground as well. She readied herself for the impact and only grunted when she hit the ground. Bubbles wary eyes shot to her as she got back on her feet.

“Buttercup!” Bubbles cried.

Buttercup brushed herself off. Just as she thought, they couldn’t fly. She doubted Bubbles could either. It angered Buttercup, no doubt. Now they had to hike back home. Good news is, at least they didn’t live that far from where they were. Hopefully, The Professor can give them something to fix this.

Blossom was finally back on her feet. “We probably used too much of the Chemical X in our systems. That’s probably why we can’t use our powers.” Blossom surmised, hoping that that was really the case. She did however, have another theory but wanted to be absolutely sure before she relayed the news to her sisters and freaked them out. For their sake, she hoped that this whole situation wasn’t worse than what it seemed.

Bubbles sighed miserably. She wasn’t even going to bother trying to see if she could fly as well. Falling face first didn’t seem too pleasing after the battle they just had. Bubbles was pretty upset that she couldn't go and retrieve her purse though. She knew it would only be a miracle if it was still there by morning. The Professor was going to be irate when he learned that he had to buy her yet  _ another _ phone.

“Well…we might as well start walking.” Buttercup muttered. All three of them sighed collectively.

  
  


* * *

_ 08:21:30 pm _

The walk back home was a quiet one. Each of them being too exhausted to engage in any conversation. Unsurprisingly the streets of the city were pretty vacant. Everyone was either holed up in their homes or out hiding, preparing for night. The air that hung over their neighborhood was heavy and soundless. It almost reminded the girls of the time when they had mistakenly travelled to the future and found HIM had turned Townsville into a wasteland, just without the destruction. 

Bubbles, being easily frightened, swore she felt eyes on their back but whenever she would check, her neighbors windows were sealed shut with the blinds and drapes pulled tightly closed. It unnerved the blonde to think about but her hyperactive mind couldn’t help but to imagine eldritch eyes following them through the blinds as they sped walked down their street.

When their house came into view, tired smiles crossed their faces.

The Professor was already waiting outside for his girls. Worry was etched on his aging face. He saw on the news that Mojo Jojo had attacked the city so he knew his girls were going to be a little late getting home. What he didn’t know was they were going to take two hours to stop him. When Buttercup had texted him he was just about to blow their phones up. Luckily, she texted when she did. Now, he wondered what was taking them so long to get back. 

After a few moments of waiting, three small figures came into sight down the street and he knew it had to be his daughters. Only a fool would be cutting it close, being outside at this time. A wide grin spread across his face as he ran down the street to meet them. When he finally reached them he took all three of them in his arms and gave them a big squeeze. Any anger he had in him from before immediately evaporated when he saw how battered the girls were.

Knowing the look on his face, Blossom quickly tried to ease his tension. “We’ll explain when we're in the house. Too tired to talk.” She said in one breath. He nodded in understanding and helped them get inside their home.

Inside, they sat sprawled out around The Professor’s lab. He had just finished bandaging Buttercup's hands and the rest of her cuts and bruises. Blossom and Bubbles were wrapped too as well as the other parts of their bodies that suffered from any wounds. Now, he was checking their vitals to see what was the cause of the girl’s lack of powers. The man swallowed stiffly.

He spun around in his chair to face his daughters, apprehensive about what he was about to tell them.

He coughed nervously “Girls…”

Their eyes were wide, fixated on their father. The trepidation in his voice couldn’t be good.

“There’s bad news and then there’s good news…” He began hesitantly. Frowns covered the girls faces. 

“What do you mean,  _ bad news? _ ” Bubbles asked, fidgeting with her long pigtails. 

Buttercup rolled her eyes at the naivety. “What do you think, Bubbles?” She sneered.

“Shutup, Buttercup!” Blossom snapped at her sister. They exchanged glares.

“Girls, enough. Let me explain, please!” The Professor scolded, bringing their attention back to him. When they’ve calmed down, he continued.

“The bad news is that you girls have lost your powers for the time being…”

“WHAT!?” Bubbles and Buttercup exclaimed.

“What the hell do you mean by  _ we lost our powers _ ?” Buttercup shrieked.  _ This can’t be happening right now.  _ Her younger sister seemed ready to burst into hysterics.

The Professor cringed at their loud tones, he should’ve expected this. “Whatever Mojo had hit you with had traces of Antidote X in it. A lot of it still lingers inside your bodies.”

Blossom chewed lightly on her bottom, listening to the Professor only confirmed her fears.  _ So my theory was correct. Damnit. _

“Professor, what are we supposed to do? Our powers...this is the  _ worst  _ night to lose them.”

Bubbles panicked.

“Professor, I know you can fix this! You have to!” Buttercup yelled, grabbing The Professor’s lab coat. He nearly toppled over.

“Don’t you have more Chemical X, Professor? We’ve been hit with Antidote X before.” Blossom inquired evenly. The Professor sighed and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

“It’s not going to be that simple this time. There’s too much AX in your systems that just injecting you with Chemical X won’t do much of anything and on top of that, I don’t have enough made right now for the three of you.” He explained, shaking his middle child off of him.

Blossom’s posture slackened. “How long will it take for the AX to clear out?”

The Professor kneaded his chin between his fingers, going over numbers in his head. “I give it a day or two before it’s all completely gone.” He calculated. “A week for me to perfect another batch of Chemical X.”

Blossom nodded her head in understanding. The sorrow in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed by her perceptive father. She was freaking out about her powers just like her sisters, she just didn’t want to show it. She was the eldest. It was her responsibility to keep everything together, including herself. 

Bubbles eyes watered at the news. Having lost her powers for the time being was one thing. Having to have lost them before one of the most terrifying nights of the year was another. She felt the color drain from her tan skin.  _ Oh God... _

Buttercup glared at the white tiled floor.  _ Damn.  _ Powerless for the next week did not sound in the least bit appealing. Not when she wanted to throttle the monkey that did this to them, today. The green powerhouse had an itching suspicion that Mojo knew exactly what he was doing when he blasted them with AX earlier.

Blossom put all her thoughts and feelings about the matter behind her, although she was vexed at the temporary loss of their powers. She had the same dreadful realization as her sisters. No powers before the Purge. The fact had her clenching her jaw. There have been some occurrences where Purgers would break into people’s homes. Luckily for them, their neighborhood hasn’t seen such an act–most like you due to three super teens on the block–but one could never be too cautious on a night like this one. Even with their state of the art security system the Professor had rigged over their home, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls was still skeptical.

If by some ghastly chance their home was targeted, the girls would be powerless to defend their home and father.

Blossom was angry at herself for letting Mojo get the best of them. She bet that the monkey was at home, in his volcano jumping for joy–preparing for only God knows what. That left another question in the air. What was Mojo planning? Surely he blasted them with AX for a reason. Blossom thought it was pretty redundant for Mojo to take away their powers on tonight of all nights. They wouldn’t be able to lock him up until morning and with the city already under chaos, an attack from Mojo wouldn’t leave it’s usual impact.

“So, what do we do?...” Bubbles asked, chewing on her nails. Blossom gripped her wrist for her to stop. She hated when Bubbles did that–though, it couldn’t be worse than Buttercup shaking her leg like some mad woman. The Professor brought his daughters in for a tight hug. 

He sighed miserably. “I say for now, let’s call it a night and regroup in the morning. Let’s lock up the house, eat, and then you three get some rest. Your wounds aren’t all the way healed yet, even though they’re not as bad as I thought they would be.” He examined them closely, eyes narrowed.

“We used Bubbles shields and combined it with mine and Blossom’s energy at the last minute.” Buttercup answered with a bite to her words. She was still pissed and it showed.

The Professor stroked his chin. “That was smart, if you hadn’t you all would probably be in a much worse state.”

Buttercup couldn’t help but to sneer. “What could possibly be worse than  _ this _ .”

The Professor offered them a meek smile. “Let’s get upstairs. It’s almost time for lockdown.”

* * *

“I hate this day.” Buttercup muttered angrily. The dishes she was washing nearly shattered as she threw them down in the sink. Ever since they left the lab, Buttercup has been in the foulest of moods and the rest of her family made sure to steer from her path.

In Buttercup’s perspective, everyone else seemed to take the news of them losing their powers rather too well, which just pissed the girl off even more.

Blossom occupied herself with a book in her dexterous hands. She sat quietly at the kitchen table, faciley ignoring Buttercup’s tantrum. Something she perfected through the years. Bubbles fidgeted with her nails at the table, glancing ever so often between her sisters and the Professor who sat across from her.

“I swear once we get our powers back, I’m flying over to that stupid volcano and beating the crap out of Mojo.” The noirette growled, breaking yet another dish from her excessive force. Plates may be fragile but it felt good to at least be able to break  _ something  _ with her own two hands. The powerhouse used to be able to bring down entire buildings and now she was grudgingly reduced to this.  _ Fucking Mojo. _

Blossom sighed, not even bothering to look up from her book. So what if she already read it a hundred times. “We’re not kids anymore, Buttercup. We can’t just storm over to Mojo’s and beat him senseless over a  _ grudge. _ ” She flipped over a page. “He might have won the battle this time but at least we’re still alive to fight another day.” 

Buttercup snorted unkindly at what was supposed to be encouraging words from her wise older sister and the Professor tossed her a firm look from over his shoulder.

“Your sister is right, Buttercup.” He said with finality. The explosive girl just glared at them both before smiling wryly.

“Of course she is.” She said, throwing the dish sponge in the sink and then stalking out of the room.

The Professor watched her leave, shaking his head with a frown that aged the man about ten or more years. 

He swore his middle daughter was going to work him into an early grave. He was going to take a well needed drag from his pipe when a dainty hand grasped his fist where he unknowingly choked the stem of his old pipe.

“It’s okay, Professor.” Bubbles assured earnestly whilst rubbing circles into his hand until he reluctantly unclenched his fist. The Professor smiled shortly at his youngest before resuming reading his forgotten newspaper. Bubbles hand fell back to her side, shaking.

The air in their home was thick ever since they heard the news in the lab. Dinner was eaten in silence. Bubbles feared that if she said anything, Buttercup would snap at her. She didn’t want to say anything stupid to set anyone off but the silence was killing her.

“P–Professor?” She spoke timidly. He looked up from newspaper. The smell of smoke from his pipe lingered in the room.

“Yes, dear?” 

“I lost my phone today.” She bit her lip nervously waiting for his response. His eyebrow lifted, gesturing for her to continue. “When I went to go see if Buttercup was okay. I left my bag.” She added. He blinked twice before simply nodding.

“I’ll get you another one sometime this week.” He replied before sticking his nose back into his paper. Bubbles jaw dropped. Usually she would get a stern lecture but now–nothing. She was shocked but wasn’t going to press the matter anymore. She was getting a new phone, she felt at least a tiny bit better upon hearing the news. Bubbles looked over to the digital clock sitting above the kitchen sink.  _ 8:46pm _ .

“I think it’s time for us to lock up.” Bubbles said meekly. 

The Professor’s sharp eyes veered to the clock also. “Yes. Yes, it is Bubbles. I think it’s your turn this year to do the honors, yeah?” Bubbles nodded reluctantly and quickly left the room with Blossom and the Professor right behind her.

“If we had our powers, we could be out there, helping people.” They heard Buttercup mutter as they entered the living room. The lights were dimmed, adding an eerie touch to the already frightening girl’s exterior.

The Professor sighed deeply and pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose. “We’ve discussed this a  _ thousand times, _ Buttercup. I’m not going to say it again.” He said sternly. He heard her suck her teeth before she stalked out the room, mumbling curses under her breath. 

Ever since the Purge began, the Professor had made sure that his daughters were locked away in the safety of their home on the dangerous night. At first the girls were outraged. If they had the power to help and save people like they had always done, why stop on one of the nights where people would need them most?

“ _Girls...there’s going to be times where you can’t_ _save everyone.”_

_ “But Professor, this is madness! How can the government allow this?” _

_ “They’re killing each other…” _

_ “We should be doing something about this! What the hell do we have these powers for if we can’t use them to stop maniacs like that!”  _

_ “Buttercup, watch your mouth!” _

_ “Buttercup, I understand that this upsets you but there’s nothing we can do. This is the law now and as gallant as you and your sisters are, you girls are  _ not  _ above the law.” _

The morning after the purge was always an eldritch one. As if a switch was flipped and the bustling city came back to life with sirens blaring in every direction no matter what street you turned. Slowly, people–or what was left of them crawled out of the gutter and made their way back to their normal lives. It was unfathomable; as if a vacuum settled over Townsville and sucked up every malicious event that a person had done that night. Some walked with serene smiles on their bloody and battered faces. Others went home, hollowed and in pieces in more ways than one.

The odor of the dead reeked and clung to the back of your nose. Instead of dew dusting the grass, it was blood and gore. The Utonium’s always made sure to stay inside until the news cleared that all of the bodies had been picked up off the streets and the streets were bleached clean.

_ “What about the innocent people caught in the crossfire?” _

_ “It’s too dangerous for you girls to be out there, Blossom.” _

_ “We have powers, Professor. We’re practically bullet proof.” _

_ “It’s not the guns I’m worried about.” _

“Don’t worry about her, Professor. You know how she gets around this time of the year. It’s not helping that we’ve temporarily lost our powers either.” Blossom’s commanding voice somewhat soothed some of the tension in the air.

“Yes…she’ll be fine by the time morning hits.” He said more so to himself. “Then hopefully, we can work on getting your powers back.”

Blossom folded a small corner of a page in her book before shutting it and setting it down. The smile on her face was small but bright all the same. “Don’t work yourself too hard. It’s going to be a few days before the city is back to normal after all.” 

The Professor stroked his chin, his jaw clenched involuntarily. “Yes…you’re right.” He paused, frowning faintly to himself. “But it’ll be a nice needed distraction. For now, I’m going back downstairs to run some more tests on you all’s blood samples.”

Blossom nodded and then watched as her dad left the room to shut himself inside his lab. When she heard the familiar sound of the heavy vault door open and then slam closed, she got up to peek out the wide living room’s window. Their neighbors across from them had already locked up their home from a few days ago. They always left the country during this time of the year.  _ Good for them. _

Blossom closed the blinds.

* * *

Bubbles was in the hallway, outside the living room in front of their home's security box. She was punching in the codes to arm the house. It wasn’t a complicated security system. It was just you had to enter a number of codes to make sure the house was fully armed–which Bubbles was having trouble with. She blamed it on the nerves. Of course she was already a nervous wreck because of the Purge but now it was worse because of the state they were currently in.

“Now what was it…” She murmured to herself. For the life of her she couldn’t remember what the last code was. She successfully entered the ones for the rest of the house, the only section that wasn’t completely locked down was the basement. The Professor had some windows installed not too long ago so he could have some fresh air flowing in whenever he worked down there for long periods of time.

Bubbles bit down hard on her thumb nail, snapping the acrylic right off. She was raking every nook and cranny of her frazzled brain to find that last code.

“Bubbles, hurry up! They’re about to make the announcement!” She heard Buttercup exclaim from the living room.

Bubbles glanced back at the living room’s doorway before steering her focus back on the security box.  _ It would only take a minute. Then I’ll be right back to finish…I need to ask for the last code anyways. _ She debated dubiously. “Yeah…I’m going to ask for the last code and be right back.” She said, nodding to herself. Bubbles quickly scurried away, still taking short glances behind her until the security box was completely out of sight.

Her carelessness was going to be the death of her one day.

In the living room sat Buttercup and Blossom. The Professor was probably still downstairs in the lab, not bothering with the ominous countdown. All three of the heroine’s eyes were glued to the television. When the screen went blue and the emergency broadcast started, a silence swept through the room.

  
  
  


**Emergency Broadcast System**

**This is not a test.**

**This is your Emergency Broadcast System announcing the commencement of The Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government.**

**Weapons of Class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted.**

**Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed.**

**Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours.**

**Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning until 8 am, when the Purge concludes.**

**Blessed be our new Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn.**

**May God be with you all.**

**Time Remaining**

**00:11:59:57**

  
  
  


When the ominous siren blared through their television’s speakers, the girls all forgot to breathe. The reaction was automatic now. 

For twelve long hours her beloved city’s streets were going to be painted in blood. Blossom could only pray for the people of Townsville. People for one night out of the year, she couldn’t protect, even though she vowed since she was five that she would.

Her heart beat could be heard in her ears. Blossom was usually a level headed girl but the night of the Purge always had the known fearless leader on edge. It was the one night that the “early to bed, early to wake,” girl, did not sleep a wink. 

Blossom thought about calling her best friend Robin to check up on her and her family but shook the thought off. Robin’s parents were easily frightened people and she didn’t want to set them off any further for the night. Her friend would probably never tell her, but she always had an inkling that Robin’s parents didn’t really like her and her family. It made Blossom sad to think about and couldn’t help but to ponder if that was the reason why the Snyder’s moved from next door when the girls finally entered middle school.

Buttercup brusquely turned off the television and slouched further into the sofa, leg shaking and all. She was scared but the massive ego hers wouldn’t allow her to show it. Like her sister, the noirette also had a friend she wanted to check on–desperately. But the idiot wasn’t answering any of her calls, sending her straight to voicemail in fact. She almost broke her phone.

Her best friend, Mitch Mitchelson was an idiot. He had told her earlier in the day, while at school, that he was participating in the Purge and afterwards, Buttercup cursed him out so badly that she’d probably make the devil blush. Even as much as Buttercup  _ begged _ and pleaded for him not to, he brushed her aside with that stupid smirk that he  _ thought _ made him look like a badass. If she was thinking clearly, she should’ve done something extreme, like breaking his leg or something so he couldn’t go out. Sure he would be fervently pissed at her, but at least she’ll know for sure that the dumbass was alive.

Buttercup’s leg shook even harder.  _ Dumbass... _

Bubbles wrapped her arms around herself. Doing a little bit of research when the event first started, she found that the Purge was created for people to  _ cleanse  _ themselves and was the result of the growing crime rates and other ordeals that seemed more at the governments fault if anyone’s. Through the years, the girls had noticed the significant rise in crime and they did their best to contain it.

The people of Townsville, once cheerful and carefree, slowly began to stalk the streets with stiff shoulders and foul moods. The blonde’s favorite little family owned shops started to go out of business–ones she frequented when she was just a little girl. It was like the light in Townsville was slowly dimming year after year. 

Then the riots started.

_ “Blossom, shouldn’t we do something to help the mayor?” _

_ “We can’t, Bubbles. You heard the Professor. He doesn’t want us getting involved in politics.” _

_ “But what if they manage to get inside the building?” _

_ “The police can handle it, Bubbles. There’s no need to worry.” _

_ “Pfft, well they’re doing a shit job...but that’s nothing new.” _

Blossom stood up from the couch, snapping the blonde out of her reverie. “Bubbles, did you finish locking everything down?” Blossom watched as Bubbles eyes went wide and just knew her sister had made a vital mistake as she began to stammer.

Blossom took a threatening step towards her. “Bubbles…please tell me you locked this house down.” She hissed lowly. Buttercup green irises flared on a shaking Bubbles.

Bubbles swallowed hard. She shrunk under her sisters harsh glares. “I–I was almost done b–but I couldn’t remember the l–last code.” 

Buttercup shot up from her seat cursing loudly. “Fuck, Bubbles! Do you forget every fucking thing or are you just slow?” 

Blossom turned her sharp glare onto Buttercup next. “Shut up, Buttercup! Go put in the last code so we can go to bed–hurry!” Blossom barked. She watched Buttercup angrily push past Bubbles to leave the room after scowling back at her youngest sister.

“Bubbles, this makes the second time today you  _ forgot _ something of importance.” Blossom didn’t waste any time cutting into Bubbles. Her carelessness was something she was used to but hoped that she would someday grow out of. Blossom feared that if Bubbles didn’t get her act together then something terrible was going to happen to them one day.

Bubbles did her best to avoid her sister’s glacial stare. She stared meekly at her feet, chewing at her nails. “I–I know. I didn’t mean to though!” Her apologetic eyes met Blossom’s. “I really did forget though. I haven’t done the lockdown sequence in a while…that’s why–“ Blossom’s hand cut her off.

She sighed. “Okay, I understand. I guess it isn’t entirely your fault...” Blossom’s eyes narrowed slowly. “You still need to be more responsible. You could’ve called one of us to help you, Bubbles.”

Biting her lip, Bubbles responded. “I know. I was going to but then Buttercup called us in here. I thought it wouldn’t be much harm to wait for a minute…”

Blossom eyes softened a little. “Yes, I see. Now that I think about it, it wouldn’t have done that much harm. No one really targets our home anyways since we have–well  _ had _ powers.”

Bubbles smiled meekly. “No one knows we lost them either.”

“That’s true. With that said, I’m sorry for snapping at you just now.” Blossom said with a small smile of her own. 

Bubbles just nodded, still with that desolate smile that she wore so well. Blossom knew Buttercup’s comment was still sitting on Bubbles mind. Actually, Buttercup was always one to be tough on her little sister. Bubbles knew that her sister loved her, but her harsh choice of words always cut deep into the soft hearted blonde. Blossom sighed miserably before bringing Bubbles in for a hug, she squeezed her tenderly.

“Don’t let Buttercup get to you. You know she can be a bit of an ass sometimes but at the end of the day, she’s still our sister. She’ll do anything for you.” Blossom pulled away first, facing her with her golden girl smile. The one she wore to win over anyone she threw it at. It made the small blonde’s heart stutter.

Bubbles finally exhaled when Blossom had left her to catch up with Buttercup. Her sister’s words did little to make her feel better. As she stood there, Bubbles still felt like a burden to her family.

Buttercup was growing increasingly frustrated. By now, she had entered the last code about ten times but to no avail. The damn thing kept saying  _ error  _ and she knew she put the code in correctly. Memorizing all the codes was second nature to her now, as if it was the date of her birthday. She was the one who did the lockdown last year for Christ sake! 

Buttercup tried entering it one more time. 

**_ERROR_ **

She read the big, bold red letters in irritation. Buttercup just about had it with the damned device. Her arm was cocked back, ready to deliver a blow to the insufferable thing when she felt someone’s hand grasp her arm. Her neck spun on its own and her fierce green eyes met unflinching pink ones.

“Blossom, what the hell? I thought I warned you about the sneaking up on me shit?” She growled.

Blossom dropped her hand with a sneer. “You did.” Her eyes went to the security system. “Why isn’t the lab locked down yet?” 

Buttercup threw her hands up in agitation. “The damn thing won’t work! It’s broken.” Buttercup exasperated, stepping aside so that Blossom can fiddle with it.

Blossom shook her head. “That’s impossible. The Professor just checked it this morning. It was fully operational.” 

“Well now it’s fucking broke.” Buttercup snorted, folding her arms as Blossom punched in the familiar numbers.

Blossom rolled her eyes at her irritable sister. “You know, Buttercup, you should really watch your language. It’s not how young ladies as yourself should talk.” She quipped.

If she had her powers, green irises would’ve flared furiously. “You want to worry about my language right now or the fact that the house  _ still  _ isn’t fully locked down?”

A ginger brow quirked at her. “Touché.”

**_ERROR_ **

Blossom’s tongue kissed the back of her teeth. That would make a third time in a row the code didn’t work for her. It was time to call the Professor.

“This is just fucking great!” 

“Calm down. The Professor probably changed it and forgot to tell us.” 

Buttercup lip curled in distaste. “Last minute, Bloss? The Professor might be getting old but he wouldn’t forget to tell us something as important as that.”

Blossom huffed at the accuracy in her point. “Let’s just go downstairs and let him know. He’ll know how to fix this.” She reassured her. 

Buttercup just rolled her eyes and shoved passed her to make her way to the basement door. She rolled her eyes at Bubbles who hung quietly in the threshold of the living room’s entrance.

Blossom glared pointedly at the noirette’s back. She had a few words about Buttercup’s attitude but chose to hold off on confronting her pettish sister for now. She knew Buttercup was only acting out because of the loss of her powers. That didn’t make it fair though. They  _ all  _ have lost their powers and while her and Bubbles were dealing with it fairly well, Buttercup chose to be damn brat about it. 

It was really starting to piss her off. She couldn’t wait to retire to her room for the night and maybe take a well needed bath. 

Blossom followed after Buttercup with a miffed edge to her walk, prodding Bubbles with a finger for her to follow as well. Buttercup threw the heavy door open with an unnecessary amount of force and the three of them descended the steps.

“Was that really necessary?” Blossom asked, sounding unamused.

“As necessary as getting that last code.” Buttercup’s quip earned her a disapproving glare from Blossom and a tight frown from Bubbles.

“You could’ve put a hole in the wall.” Bubbles griped, her exasperation peeking.

“Hmph, I  _ would’ve  _ put a hole in the wall if I had my powers.”

“And everyone calls me the princess...”

“What was that?”

Ignoring them both, Blossom pushed Buttercup aside so that she could take the lead. If they wanted to act like children, her sisters could go right ahead–just without her. She wasn’t one for insignificant bickering, especially if it was with Buttercup. It was like running in circles.

They were almost at the bottom of the steps when Blossom had called out to their father.

“Professor! We have a–“

**_BOOM!_ **

The entire house shook from the explosion. The girls' ears rang from the blast as they shook and toppled down the remaining stairs. Limbs flew haphazardly as the three girls bumped and banged their way down the steps and onto one another. Finally hitting the basement floor caused them to temporarily fall unconscious. 

Flames and smoke engulfed the basement, smothering anything in the vicinity and the girls blinked blearily at blinding bright lights that shun through the smoke.

“ _ BWHAHAHAHAHA!”  _

Collecting themselves, the girls knew one that was certain other than they might have mild concussions. That senile laugh can only belong to one person–or creature. Their bodies ached from falling down the cold stairs but being as though they got blown through buildings almost on a daily basis, they endured it. Although, the difference from being powerless now was significant. Pissed and disoriented, they struggled to hastily get to their feet. 

“Oh, hello girls! This brings back fond memories of when  _ you  _ infuriating little girls used to break into  _ my  _ lab unannounced, wrecking everything I worked my hardest on. Now look how the tables have turned!” Mojo sneered inside his hovercraft.

Smoke, debris, and Mojo aside, all an irate Buttercup could see was red. It was one thing to deal with the psychotic chimp once in a day, but twice and powerless? And today of all days? It was as if someone was playing a cruel joke on them.

“Y–you son of a bitch! What the f–fuck are you doing at our house?” She roared as best as she could between her ragged coughs. Smoke was slowly starting to cloud her lungs and it hurt to breathe. She took a glance behind her and could barely see where her sisters were. All she could hear was their pained coughs.

Mojo’s erratic cackling filled the room once more. “Hmm…Let me see, well I stopped by to pay an old friend a visit. An old friend being the Professor, the man that has fathered you all for your pathetic lives and raising you all like treasured show horses!” He snarled viciously at them. His gloved fist banged against the ship’s control panel. 

Panic filled the girls. “What are you going to do to the Professor, Mojo!” Blossom cried out.

“SILENCE! I didn’t come here to answer mundane questions!” Mojo spat and then the scowl on his sunken face morphed into something sinister. “I actually came to  _ borrow _ something from you girls.” 

“What do you want!?” Blossom questioned, through clenched teeth.

Mojo continued to laugh as a mechanical claw came forth from the darkness of the smoke, revealing an unconscious John Utonium in its clutches.

“PROFESSOR!” Bubbles cried from the far end of the basement. She had crawled over there inconspicuously, while Mojo was busy monologuing and found one of the Professor’s emergency respirator masks for whenever there was an accident in the basement. Quickly, she tossed two others at her sisters and they eagerly put them on as they hobbled to their feet.

“LET HIM FUCKING GO, MOJO OR ELSE!” Buttercup threatened, her legs moved on their own, trying to reach the deranged monkey but Blossom held her back. Buttercup eyes never left Mojo or her father but Blossom could feel the stiffness from her sister’s body from when she grabbed her. It pained her to do this and she wanted nothing more but to save the Professor as well but the rational instinct inside her couldn’t deny the disadvantage they were at.

Mojo laughed callously at the girls. “Or else what? What are three puny,  _ powerless _ , girls going to do to someone of the likes of me? I am invincible now!” Mojo’s laughter lingered in the air as realization finally hit the girls. Mojo was right, they were powerless. What could they possibly do?

Tears ran down Bubbles face. She didn’t know what Mojo wanted from the Professor but it couldn’t be good and with them powerless, it would be even harder to rescue their father.

“What do you want with him, Mojo?” Bubbles whimpered, fearing the worst.

Mojo rolled his beady eyes. “Should that really be your first concern at this very moment? Shouldn't you be more concerned with  _ how  _ you’re going to possibly get him back, hmm?” 

“What the fuck are you getting at, Mojo?” Buttercup growled.

Mojo wagged his finger at her. “Language, you insolent brat! I’m sure your father didn’t raise you to behave like some rabid beast but to answer your asinine question, I’m giving you three the chance to get the Professor back.”

Blossom swallowed stiffly. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, already knowing where this conversation was headed. “And what are the terms?”

Mojo smiled cruelly at the leader of his arch nemeses. “You all have until the morning to get the Professor back before I ultimately kill him.”

At that moment, it was as if the air was knocked from the girls lungs. Bubbles fell to her knees. “What…”

Blossom blinked back the initial shock and nodded solemnly at Mojo. “I get it...you know going outside tonight will be suicide for us, especially in the state that we’re in.” Her knuckles were white at her sides. “What I don’t understand is why not just kill us now?”

Buttercup whirled on her sister. “What the hell, Blossom?”

Blossom ignored her and took a bold step forward. “What’s wrong, Mojo? You said it yourself that we’re  _ powerless _ now. What’s stopping you from ending us like you’ve been failing to do all these years? Don’t tell me that you’re having cold feet before the big deed.”

Buttercup’s eyes narrowed into slits. She didn’t know about her sister, but the last thing the toughest fighter wanted to do was die by the hands of some primate. Powers or no powers be damned. “Blossom…”

Mojo just stared back, leering at the so-called  _ fearless  _ leader. He acknowledged her assertion with a small curl of his lip. “Perhaps you’re right, Blossom. It does sadden me just a little to think about how you girls won’t be around anymore to challenge me but…” He paused in thought, giving each girl a terse once over. “Then I recall all the times you broke into my home, my  _ jail cell _ , and beat me mercilessly within an inch of my life—unwarranted sometimes. There are things  _ broken _ inside me, that even with my vast amount of knowledge, I’ll  _ never  _ be able to fix myself.”

Conjunctivitis eyes stared back coldly and detached at the causes of his pain. All of the grievances the girls caused played back in those sunken eyes of his and for the first time ever, Mojo was seen as more than just annoyingly persistent primate the girls fought on a daily basis. The bitterness wafted off of Mojo in the waves and it was as heavy as it was acidic.

“You see, Blossom...as much as it would please to me to eradicate you girls by my own hands, I don’t want to give you three the satisfaction of having a quick and easy death. All you girls know is quick and easy, having everything plainly handed to you from the start of your humdrum lives.”

Mojo’s chest heaved as he inhaled deeply. “You all deserve to suffer just as much as every other pathetic being on this planet. Tonight I will teach you how to  _ suffer _ or better yet–these insects that you have sworn to protect and that you believe worship the ground you walk on–will teach you about  _ suffering _ and then only maybe Blossom, will I give you the quick death that you’re so brazenly inquiring about.”

“For now, I bid you girls  _ adieu. _ ” The girls watched, stupefied as Mojo flipped a switch and his hovercraft rev to life, slowly backing out of the hole he had created. The girls didn’t dare breathe until Mojo was far in the air, taking the Professor with him into the dark sky.


End file.
